


Three Little Words

by Glare



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen, Tag As I Go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4142295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glare/pseuds/Glare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's amazing how three little words can throw his world out of orbit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Little Words

**Author's Note:**

> I'm here. Around 15 years late to this fandom, but I've finally arrived. Boom. A lot of notes to follow. Sorry.
> 
> Anyhow, here's a thing. This was inspired by a work on here entitled "Mine" and you should definitely check that out.
> 
> In addition, this was written and posted on an iPhone, so there are probably like a million spelling and grammatical errors. Sorry. The Internet at my summer employment is wired, so I'm stuck posting from here.
> 
> One final note: this was not meant to be taken as pedophilloic in any way. Just some of that good, old-fashion Watcher-ly protector-y feels here. It's kinda weird, but this plot bunny wouldn't allow me any other way to write it so here you go.

He meets her for the first time in a crowded park in Los Angeles. Through the pitched cries of excited children and the thick musk of sweat, something catches Ripper's attention. In the end, he never could pinpoint just what it was: a scent, a sound, or something else entirely. He's pulled as if by an invisible string, tugged through the judgmental stares of disapproving parents toward the swingset. The hems of his jeans and his combat boots are covered in sand, this particular park's footing of choice, but he can't quite work up the disgust he might've at another time.

She sits there in a tiny blue dress that accentuates wide eyes as they stare up at him. Clear, crystalline. She displays none of the fear he's come to expect from youths. Parents whisper warnings of strange men along with those of the boogeyman and similar creatures of the night. She doesn't flee, doesn't give him wide berth. Her head tilts curiously to one side, pigtails bouncing with the action, and meets him with a level gaze.

"You're the man from my dreams." She says with delight.

Ripper is struck with a strange sense of déjà vu. He feels he should know her, that somehow he's always known her, but is certain he's never seen the little girl before.

"You know me?" He asks, kneeling in the sand before her to better meet her eyes. She nods enthusiastically.

"They told me you'd be here. They said I had to come to the park today. They said we had to meet."

"Who are they?"

"The others," she says simply, as though that's explanation enough. "The ones who came before me," is added as in afterthought.

"Where are your parents?" Ripper's gaze wanders from the girl. Not too far, he's too fascinated with this strange little girl to turn away completely, but far enough to scan the surrounding area for her family. He receives several wary looks from nearby adults, but no parents rushing over to chase him away.

"My dad's over there." She points to a man on a phone, too far away to even pass as watchful. Ripper snorts in disgust. "I went with him to work today, but he brought me here when I started crying." Her lips curl into a mischievous grin. "It works every time."

Laughter springs from his chest unbidden. He's delighted with this little girl's spunk. It tugs at his heart in a way he thinks it oughtn't. A nearby parent huffs in poorly concealed disgust, but it falls on deaf ears. They are too wrapped up in their connection to care.

Then the girl's face falls, staring at something over his shoulder. Ripper might have been bothered to investigate the cause if he wasn't otherwise preoccupied with hungrily memorizing every detail of this strange little girl's face.

"My dad's coming," she says softly, eyes returning to his, "you should go."

Go. Go? Why should he go? They're both here, together. Isn't that how they're supposed to be? His brain struggles to understand why she's sending him away when they're perfectly safe together. It's amazing how three little words can throw his entire world out of orbit.

It only processes when an angry shout reaches his ears through the din of his confusion. He turns to see the girl's father rapidly approaching, wearing a hostile expression. Ripper scrambles to his feet and takes off in a run, but not before casting one final, fleeting glance at the girl who has inexplicably inserted herself into his orbit.

He will find her again. He has to find her again. An alien desire to safeguard had been coursing through his veins from the moment he saw her. But as he goes he realizes that in the brief moments they spent together, he'd never thought to ask her name.


End file.
